Page 15 - 2017 Summer

viewer will see the
e of W
ashingt
Grand Lodge of Washington
Gr
and Lodg
on
Masonic Tribune
Masonic T r ibune Due-Guards of two of
Volume XCVIII No. 4 - Summer 2017 Issue - Page 15 the degrees. Watch
Volume XCII No.1 - Summer Issue - Page 3
for them.
The popular film con-
(Continued from page 14) taining the Masonic
esoterica is probably
ficers instead. Not only does this spread the annual Murder by Decree.
calendar out among the elected officers but it could This period who-dun-it
significantly enhance the meaning of your event. A
dinner honoring the Sr. Grand Warden or a “get to has Sherlock Holmes
know” the new Jr. Grand Warden picnic would be a helping to solve the
stand-out event for the honoree and the attendees. Jack-the-Ripper mur-
ders. Holmes quickly
• Combine any events with the District Meeting. This finds a Masonic con-
requires that you coordinate the event months or, nection and traces it
more likely, years in advance. However, when your to the highest levels
event and District Meeting both require up to 12 or of government and
more hours of driving for each to get to and from for even the Royal Fam-
Grand Lodge officers, combining events is a real time ily. Some of the cast
saver. includes greats such
• Show up to your District or regional Meetings! It is as Anthony Quayle,
so disheartening to drive hours for a District Meeting Donald Sutherland,
only to find that the Grand Lodge officers outnumber James Mason, John Gielgud, Geneviève Bujold, and Chris-
the local Brothers. topher Plummer as Holmes. In explaining Masonry to Wat-
This is not about making anything easier just for the sake of son, Holmes gives a very accurate description of the ruffians
being lazy. It is about scaling our leadership roles to match and their colorful demise and at one point, he engages in a
changing lifestyles and the size of our membership to attract grip quite reminiscent of one in the York Rite. The climactic
the best and the brightest to run for office. Again, we have scene takes place in a British Lodge room and though it is
been lucky so far that our Jurisdictional leaders have been a bit over dramatic when Holmes tells off the Prime Minister
great. Probably none of the candidates for the Grand South he is telling truth to power and standing on the right side of
or any current line officers are going to tell you this for fear justice. What could be Masonic?
of looking like they are shirking their duties, but we need to While the previous films are relatively easy to find, this third
cut back. film is very rare. If you ever find it playing in a theater, check
it out. The second half of the film, which takes place in the
VWBB Paul Waadevig, Guggenheim Museum, was once released on DVD but is
Chairman, Membership Development long out of print. The first half, which takes place in Fingles
Cave off the coast of Scotland and in the Chrysler Building,
has never been officially released. It is the third in a cycle
of five films called the CreMaster Cycle. CreMaster 3 is the
More Masonic Knowledge only part of the cycle with Masonic references, but it is full of
them. Sub-sections of the film have names like “The Three
Grand Masters,” “The Five Points of Fellowship” and “The
The symbols of FreeMasonry are all around us; subtle mark- Order of Rainbow for Girls.” However, things are not as they
ings on a building, obscure references in a book or Masonic are named. The three Grand Masters are three drunks, the
phrases in an otherwise commonplace conversation. In film Rainbow Girls are a line of Rockettes style dancers and the
and television, those references can range from stories com- Five Points are exchanged between the hero and the hero-
pletely focused on a Masonic connection like The Man Who ine. Be forewarned: If you like snappy dialogue and neatly
Would Be King to single images like the close-up of Harvey tied up plots, avoid this film like the plague. There is no dia-
Keitel’s Masonic ring near the end of National Treasure. Over logue. The director supplies the music, imagery and symbol-
the years, I have collected around 40 films with Masonic ogy and lets the viewer build his own plot.
references. I say “around” because the collection is always
growing. The earliest example I’ve found is in a 1939 Shir- Two films are period pieces and other film is very modern.
ley Temple 1-reeler called “Dora’s Dunkin’ Donuts” while the Each offers a different spin on the Craft. Each only focuses
most recent work is a set of films by mid-westerner Joseph on one tiny slice and that is fine. Masonry has always been
James who specializes in Masonic themed movies. too complex to fit a single description. You only have to watch
At the top of every Masonic Movie list should be The Man a Brother trying to explain organization and procedures to a
Who Would Be King. It is based on a book by Brother Rud- potential petitioner to verify that. We see Masonry from the
yard Kipling, co-written and directed by Brother John Houston inside. The world reflects Masonry back at us in architec-
and is a story about Masons from beginning to end. All starts ture, music, literature and, yes, even movies. So watching
when a petty thief discovers he is accidently stolen from a these movies is not only entertaining it shows us our selves
fellow Mason and sets off to return the goods. The story is through other eyes.
riveting, the photography and locales stunning but mostly it is
just fun watching two Masonic scalawags having adventures Submitted By:
through India and surrounding countries, most notably “Kaf-
firistan.” In addition to the overtly Masonic plot, an observant WB Don Moore

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